Competence investment that makes a difference in everyday life

Ove Granlund, Finnbergs Diversehandel. Photo: Ingela Granlund.

Between October 2025 and March 2026, the four northernmost regions carried out a pilot training to strengthen the profitability, efficiency and customer service of rural stores. Four stores in underserved areas participated in a practically oriented initiative with individual coaching, store visits and joint workshops – with a focus on profitability, structure and working methods that also work in the stores' everyday lives.

Finnbergs Diversehandel in Glommersträsk was one of the participating stores and the training was the starting point for some concrete changes in the store's work, such as better planning around product display and a more structured approach to waste. Ove Granlund, the store's all-rounder, shares how the training has strengthened the business in the long term with more efficient and smarter working methods.

How has the pilot training contributed to developing your store?

“Above all, it has helped us to have better structure in our everyday lives,” says Ove. We have changed our routines around waste, gone from binders to digital follow-up and redesigned the entire store’s shelving system to get a better overview. To make the work easier and clearer, all staff, including extra staff, have been involved in the changes.

What parts of the training have been most valuable to you?

- The best thing was that the training was intensive and compressed, he explains. Four months suited us very well – especially since we don't have the opportunity to spend time on development during the summer season. The personal visit from the training consultant was very inspiring and decisive for our interest in the venture. Then also networking with the other stores was particularly valuable – wonderful conversations with creative people from whom we got many concrete tips.

Have you made any concrete changes in the store as a result of the training?

- Yes, we have changed a lot, Ove emphasizes. We have built clearer sales areas immediately when you enter the store and are now working in a more planned way with how goods are replaced over time. We have also developed a more detailed annual cycle and are now planning three to four months at a time, which gives us better foresight.

Has the training helped you in how you work with finance and business management?

Now we have always been careful with our finances and have good routines around it, but the training gave us new perspectives. For example, it was an eye-opener to calculate the value of the non-profit work done by our volunteers who help unpack goods every week. We have also streamlined waste management so that it is now digital, which simplifies the work considerably.

Would you recommend other rural stores to participate in a similar initiative?

- Absolutely! Ove says emphatically. Everyone in our store participated enthusiastically in the training, and it was really fun to work together towards the same goal. The development work is basically about survival for us who run a store in a sparsely populated area. The region has really thought about this initiative, so we highly recommend it.

Small steps that make a big impact

The changes that Finnbergs made were not about major investments, but about working smarter with what already exists – clearer priorities, better planning and simplified working methods. The training is based on the store's own reality and when its needs are properly supported, good conditions for change are created.

Thanks to Ove and Finnbergs – good luck in your future development work!

Text: Petra Selberg